This invention relates to a golf club and in particular to a golf club with a symmetrical head that is suspended from a shaft so that the head swings in a pendulum like fashion to impart overspin to a golf ball.
Long, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,478, discusses in detail a mass distribution system for imparting a controlled amount of energy from the head of a putter to a golf ball to increase the rotational moment of inertia of the putter head to offset the head's tendency to twist in the event the ball is struck off center. As noted by Long, many putters are provided with weights at the toe and heel ends of the head which help to increase the moment of inertia of the head. Long, in addition to providing toe and heel weights, also removes a good deal of the head around its center of gravity in the region immediately behind the blade of the club. Accordingly, most of the force imparted to the ball from the weighted ends of the head is transferred through the sole plate of the club head. Long places the center of mass of the head at about the same height as the center of a golf ball when the club is held in a normal putting position. Accordingly, the ball can be launched forwardly with a sliding motion prior to its beginning to rotate. This can cause the ball to initially slide off line before it begins to roll true and thus miss the intended target despite proper stroking by the player.
It should also be noted that the shaft of the Long club is joined to the head at the heel end of the club, as in the case of many other conventional golf clubs. As a consequence, the club head is difficult to align and control throughout the swing, and any slight mis-positioning of the hands of the player will again cause the ball to be misdirected. Additionally, the center of mass of the Long head is offset some distance from the shaft which, again makes club alignment and accurate striking of the ball difficult to attain even for the most experienced of golfers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,599 to Antonious and U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,477 to Solomon disclose putters similar in construction to that described by Long, wherein the shaft of the club is again joined to the head at the heel end thereof. Swenson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,636 discloses a club wherein the shaft is attached by an elongated extension arm to the head. Here again, this extension arm removes the shaft some distance from the center of mass of the club thereby making club alignment and accurate striking of the ball difficult. Additionally, the blade portion of the club described by Swenson is relatively thin behind the striking area and, as a consequence, the club does not provide a very "solid" feel to the golfer at impact. This solid feel is very important to let the golfer know if he is hitting a true and accurate shot.
Duclos in U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,350 and Pierman in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,193 describe different putter configurations each of which has an aiming device to help improve the golfer's accuracy. Aiming devices of this type, however, cannot make up for club deficiencies or mis-hit balls.